Sir Peter Leitch said he had made new friends while in hospital last week. Photo / Photosport
Sir Peter Leitch said he had made new friends while in hospital last week. Photo / Photosport
The Mad Butcher Sir Peter Leitch has revealed he feared he'd watched his last league game as he suffered serious complications from heart surgery in hospital.
Writing today, Leitch confirmed he had been in intensive care in hospital after scheduled heart surgery led to complications and required more operations.
"Things did not go as well as we all hoped and consequently I spent a bit of time having nigh-nighs in intensive care and wondering, given how crook I felt, if I might not be getting along to too many more league matches," he said in a post published by Stuff.
Leitch was full of praise for the medical staff helping him.
"On the positive side, I have had the pleasure of being nursed and cared for by some wonderful people. Take a bow all nurses.
"Mine have been wonderful and it is pretty obvious to me these are not the kind of people who got into the profession believing they were going to get rich, their motivation much more about the caring side of their natures."
Leitch said he regularly used the phrase "no one died" to get perspective on a poor Warriors result, including their weekend loss to the Cowboys.
"But like I say, 'no one died', and that is something I have had way too much time to contemplate having spent the last week in hospital after heart surgery."
Leitch said he had made new friends while in hospital.
"One of my new friends did tell me a wonderful story about her son, who has Down Syndrome, and who became very concerned when his mother's caring nature meant she had not got home when she should have one night, because she was caught up doing the best she possibly could for one of her patients.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck during the Warriors loss to North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday. Photo / Photosport
"Our man knew what to do – although he has since had some tutoring on the matter. He called 111.
"It was a story an ailing old butcher, feeling genuinely sorry for himself, needed to hear. What a great love story.
"I organised for this young man to be delivered some Warriors gear, and a shout out to the police too, who did not give this young man a hard time, but instead told him all about what to do and showed him kindness."
Leitch's son-in-law and owner of the Mad Butcher stores Michael Morton told the Herald Leitch was now out of the intensive care unit and on the mend.
"He had heart surgery last Monday and had major complications with it, ended up having three surgeries," Morton said.
"Then he had some more complications that come with it. He came out of ICU a day ago but he's going all right.
"It's a stressful time for everybody but look, he's in very good care and everybody is pleased with how he is starting to progress."
